![]() ![]() The duo had collaborated on 32 short silent films, 40 short sound films and 23 feature films until 1950. Both men had signed contracts with the Hal Roach film studio, and they were both cast in the silent film Putting Pants on Philip (1927) where their partnership began. Stan Laurel had previously worked with Chaplin early on in his career while Oliver Hardy had pursued fame in over 250 productions, but it was not until 1926 that the two men were paired together, and the results were magical. We can trace the pair back, prior to their unification, where both men enjoyed success, both on stage and in films. But surely there have been other pairings that once graced the silver screen and are now mere footnotes in history what exactly is so special about these two and why is their legacy more important than ever? Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, a study in contrasts and differences, two individuals that together made a team that amused countless audiences all over the globe. There is a select group of comedians that can be classified as belonging to this royal cluster: Abbot and Costello, The Marx Brothers, The Three Stooges, Hope and Crosby, and our featured performers, Laurel and Hardy. These men, sometimes a duo and occasionally as a trio, have suffered countless tribulations, prat falls, pie fights, battles with authority, embarrassing moments all for one reason: to make us laugh. ![]() What makes me laugh is not necessarily something that may delight you, but something that I think we can all agree on is that throughout the history of motion pictures is that there have been select groupings of performers, usually men but not always, that have come to be known as the Kings of Comedy. Comedy is a difficult issue to write about simply because of the many different flavors of humor that are available.
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